EXCEED THE SPACE PROVIDED. This application is to seek continuing support for the RCRII program at the University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus (UPR-MSC). During two previous funding periods, the RCRII program at UPR-MSC has established itself as a critical an essential component in achieving the institutional goals of advancing our knowledge of minority health. Compared to our last five-year funding period the RCRII has demonstrated a substantial increase in clinical research activities, with an increment of 284% in the number of investigators, an increment of 200% in the number of protocols utilizing the RCRII, and an increase of 250% in NIH research funds obtained in the institution. Our major goals for this renewal are to contribute to further the development of clinical research in the broadly defined areas of neuroscience, infectious diseases including HIV, cancer and respiratory diseases, with particular attention to areas and issues that disproportionately affect minorities. The submitted protocols make full use of the RCRII resources and represent successful multidisciplinary collaborations that link basic with clinical science. Our specific objectives are to increase the number and quality of the investigator-initiated studies performed at the RCRII and contribute to a substantial increase in the number of publications, while at the same time make important contributions to the knowledge and understanding of those problems that are relevant to our population. To achieve those goals and to serve better the necessities of the UPR-MSC investigators, for this renewal we have reorganized the core laboratory, we have developed an expanded informatics core, we have strengthened our biostatistics core and we will be providing added support in scientific writing. The UPR-Medical Sciences Campus is well positioned to undertake these ambitious goals given its access to minorities, the increment in recently established resources and programs focused in the area of clinical research, and a leadership that is fully committed to the success of the RCRII program. Support of the Clinical Research Program at the Medical Sciences Campus and those under development, will be the core mechanism for attainment of the major ongoing goals specified above.